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World cup playoffs: Nigeria thrash Gabon 4-1 to reach African final

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The Super Eagles on Thursday trashed Gabon 4-1 to qualify for the final of the African playoffs for the 2026 World Cup. 

The victory was in the semi-final of the mini-tourney at the Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat on Thursday.

Victor Osimhen scored a brace, Chidera Ejuke and Akor Adams grabbed a goal each as Nigeria left their clinical best till late into extra time.

The brace increased Osimhen’s tally with Eagles to 31, just six behind Rashidi Yekini as Nigeria’s all-time goalscorer.

Controversies marred Nigeria’s preparations for the match, with players boycotting one of their training sessions in protest over unpaid allowances.

Despite the drama off the pitch, the team showed little trouble when they lined up against the Panthers.

Osimhen had three big chances within the first 30 minutes: One powerful header was parried by Loyce Mbaba, the Gabonese goalkeeper; another sailed wide; and he uncharacteristically swiped another opportunity off target.

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Akor Adam, who partnered with Osimhen in attack, also saw his early effort saved by the impressive Mbaba.

The Gabonese goalkeeper looked unbeatable until the 78th minute, when a loose pass fell for Akor, who raced past the Mbaba and placed the ball into an empty net.

The goal was Akor’s second goal for Nigeria, and the team looked set to progress into the final.

But Mario Lemina struck back for Gabon in the 89th minute to take the match into extra time.

Within another 30 minutes, Nigeria put three past the previously impregnable Gabon defence.

Chidera Ejuke helped himself to his first goal for the Eagles, and then came Osimhen with his match-sealing brace.

Nigeria will face either Congo DR or Cameroon in the final of the African playoffs on Sunday.

The winners will clinch the sole slot to represent Africa at the intercontinental playoff.

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BREAKING: CAF overturns Afcon final result, declares Morocco winner

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The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has overturned the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals and declare MOROCCO the winner of the title.

Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in the final on 18 January in a match which was overshadowed when the Senegalese players refused to play after the hosts were awarded a stoppage-time penalty with the match goalless.

Following a delay of around 17 minutes, the players did eventually return and Brahim Diaz’s penalty was saved before Senegal’s Pape Gueye scored an extra-time winner.

However, that result has now been overturned by CAF.

A statement by the African Football’s Governing Body said that Senegal are “declared to have forfeited the final match” with the “result of the match being recorded as 3-0 in favour” of Morocco.

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FG  fulfils promises as D’Tigress receive national honours, house documents

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The Federal Government has fulfilled its outstanding promises to the senior women’s national basketball team, D’Tigress, delivering National Honour certificates and title documents for houses in Abuja.

The presentation took place in Lyon, where the African Champions are currently participating  at  the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament.

The move follows a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu aimed at clearing a backlog of promises made to the team following their 2023 Afrobasket victory in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, led the delegation alongside the Director General, Hon. Bukola Olopade. Speaking during the handover, Dikko characterized the prompt delivery as a “clear departure” from previous administrations, where state-promised rewards often faced multi-year delays.

“This is a prompt fulfilment of promises made by a President who leads with action,” Dikko stated. “Mr. President is giving every Nigerian athlete a renewed confidence that sports is a serious business capable of changing lives.”

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While the physical assets (housing and honours) have been delivered, the NSC Chairman confirmed that the cash rewards promised to the squad are currently in the final stages of administrative processing. He assured the players that disbursement into their respective bank accounts is imminent.

The Director General, Hon. Bukola Olopade, noted that the current administration of President Tinubu  is institutionalizing a “reward system” modelled after developed sporting nations to ensure high-performance outcomes.

President of Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Engr. Musa Kida, credited the Presidency for prioritizing athlete welfare, citing it as a “legacy of a lifetime” for the sports sector.

Head Coach Rena Wakama and Captain Amy Okonkwo formally accepted the documents, affirming that the timely delivery of these incentives would serve as a catalyst for the team’s upcoming international qualifiers.

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BREAKING: Ex-Eagles captainHenry Nwosu dies aged 62

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Henry Nwosu, a former Nigerian international footballer and member of the 1980 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) winning team, has passed away.

He was 62.

His death was confirmed by fellow ex-international Segun Odegbami in a Facebook post on Saturday.

According to Odegbami, Nwosu passed away at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja after a five-day battle for his life.

He also revealed the details of Nwosu’s final days, stating that the man he fondly called “Youngest Millionaire” died at 4:00 a.m. after being in intensive care since Wednesday.

“After 5 days in hospital battling for his life, the one I call ‘Youngest Millionaire’ passed on at 4:00 am this morning at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos where he had been in Intensive Care since Wednesday,” he wrote.

“It is with deep pain in my heart that I have to be the conveyor of the news of the death of Henry Nwosu MON. May he rest peacefully with our Creator in Heaven.”

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